By Mannu Shahi

Inspired by artists like Eminem, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Jay-Z, MGK, Tupac and more Utsaha Joshi a.k.a. Uniq Poet is a Nepali rapper who rose to prominence through the iconic Hip-Hop show ‘Raw Barz.’ 
Fascinated with the art of rap, Joshi ventured into writing and composing his own material from mid-teens. With over three dozen singles, a full-length album and numerous collaborations under his belt, the artists’ YouTube engrosses a staggering 350,000 subscribers and counting. 

His recent release, as I jot down this review, is promptly overpassing twelve thousand views within an hour of its premiere. Produced by Reverb Dust and Prajal The God, ‘Antarjaatra’ is the second track off his debut album Kaalo. 

The song, as the title suggests, points towards haunted fictional characters complemented well by the intro sample violin melody and the lyrical visualizer edited by Team Paranoid. The lyrics in retrospect could also metaphorically be pointing towards a normal person’s internal conflict.  

This dark electro ambient track ornamented with two verses of heavy Nepali words contains no lyrical refrains but very catchy musical breakdowns. The accelerating phrases for what feels like a space for chorus showcases the rapper’s prowess as he creatively fuels newer rhymes above the repetitive melodic structure. 

The poet’s off-stage persona seems more grounded and gentle in contrast to his song writing which inclines towards angry, dark, depressive characters or stories. The song contemplating a similar scenario features some frightening lines so much so that a few admirers hilariously accused Joshi of worshipping Satan in the comment section. 
Born on 14th February 1994 in Bhaktapur, the rap star was the initial inspiration behind the 2020 grandiose all-star alliance ‘Kalamkranti Cypher – The Biggest Hiphop Collaboration Ever’ presented by Halla. He has also bestowed his poetry in major collaborations with notable artists like Albatross, Sacar, Balen, Neetesh Jung Kunwar, Mc Flo, Robin Tamang, Rohit Shakya and more. 

Through all highs and lows of life, his love for Hip Hop music remains stagnant since as far back as he recalls. From the early days his peers never really acknowledged the essence of this music and the community did not accept this genre as a conventional job. His family have also not supported his artistic choices to this date, which shows the daunting way the Nepali entertainment industry functions. However, the songwriter elevated through such hurdles and successfully became one of the most promising creators of the country regardless of the generic classification.